The Flower and the Badger

Year 6: Chapter 1

As soon as Cedric saw the headline of The Daily Prophet, he grabbed Anna's arm and ushered her out of the Ministry before apparating back to Grimmauld Place. Remus looked at them in surprise. "Cedric? Anna?"

"Did you read the Daily Prophet this morning?" Cedric asked, and Remus shook his head. "No, I haven't had the chance to read it yet." He frowned as he looked at his goddaughter. "What's going on?"

"Rita Skeeter." Anna mumbled. "She's revealed me as a Death Eater."

Remus' face paled. "This isn't good." 

"Yeah, no shit."

"What's going on?" Sirius came down the stairs and the situation was explained to him. Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "Well, I suppose that you'll have to stay here, no going anywhere." 

"What about when school starts back up again?" Anna asked, and Sirius shook his head. "Unless things clear up, I don't think that you should go back to school."

Anna's eyes widened. "What?! But I have to! I only have two years left and I have to graduate if I want to become a magizoologist!"

"Anna, it's too dangerous." Remus said in agreement with Sirius. "I'm sorry, but unless things die down, you aren't going to go back to Hogwarts."

Tears filled Anna's eyes as she stormed away. "Anna." Cedric grabbed her wrist. "They're just trying to look out for you."

"So you agree with them then?" Anna said with a scoff, and Cedric sighed. "I do."

"I can't believe you Cedric Diggory! I can't, I won't throw my future away!"

"At least you would have a bloody future!" Cedric snapped, and Anna blinked in surprise, her eyes growing wide. Cedric never snapped or yelled, not at her. "Would you stop being so bloody stubborn and just think for a minute?! Your life is on the bloody line!"

"Cedric." Sirius put a hand on his shoulder. "Ease up a little bit."

Anna yanked her wrist out of Cedric's grip and went to her room, slamming her door hard and causing the portrait of Walburga Black to start screaming. Anna sat on the edge of her bed, running her hands through her hair. Everything had been going so perfectly, and now it was all coming crashing down on her. Anna didn't know what she would do if she weren't able to go back to Hogwarts, she didn't want to live the rest of her life working as a waitress or a janitor or something like that. Cody whimpered as he jumped onto her bed, moving onto her lap and licking at the tears that had started to fall down her face.

"Oh Cody..." Anna whispered. "What am I going to do?"

Almost a month and a half had passed, and things weren't looking any better for Anna. Remus was trying to work with Kingsley to try and get her name cleared, but things were going slowly. Ever since their argument, Cedric and Anna barely talked, Cedric didn't even really come over anymore; Anna wondered if he had found someone else. She wouldn't really blame him if he had, she had a lot of baggage and not everyone could deal with that.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Harry stood in her doorway, a bright grin on his face.

"Harry!" Anna squealed, jumping off of her bed and tackling him in a hug. Harry laughed as he wrapped his arms around her. "What are you even doing here?" Anna asked as she brushed his messy black hair out of his face.

"Oh come on, did you really think that I wouldn't come to see you on our birthday?"

"Birthday?" Anna asked, blinking. "Is it really our birthday already?"